Black Powder Beginner

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I am newly very interested in black powder revolvers and other 6 guns - especially conversions. I recently bought a pietta 1861 navy and am very excited to learn about it and shoot it.

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First thing i was able to do was get the barrel wedge out with a plastic mallet and homemade oak wood punch. i was pretty excited about it, as i read that some are difficult to remove -- i just got the correct type of screwdrivers so i don't mess it up and next i am going to take it apart and clean all the grease off and then oil it.

I am considering stripping off the grips and refinishing them to look like ivory - a technique i used for some of my self-bows that looks good.

Once i get the stuff together i want to go to Angeles range to shoot it - never been there.

So far i have only used it for some gunspinning and practicing a trick "road agent spin."

I would like to tune it up after i put some lead through it - i saw that pdf on how to do it. I need some files also - any suggestion as to type?

Also i would like to convert it eventually to be able to use a kirst gated conversion cylinder for 38 lc cowboy rnds - i would have to drill out part of the recoil shield to allow cartridges to fit into the loading gate .... but i'll burn that bridge when i get to it!

Regarding 6 guns, i like their history and aesthetic. I am not very interested in modern type guns - mostly i think i just like doing stuff the hard-way :D - that explains my preference for fly fishing, self-bows, atlatls and other primitive stuff. I think my major life lesson this time around is patience - for some unknown reason i am drawn to really tedious stuff like this, lol. Next i want to get an 1851 Navy London - beautiful pistol!

But first, i just have to get the stuff together to clean and shoot it - and get out to the range!
In Vino Veritas

Re: Black Powder Beginner

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pistolero wrote:i would like to use real black powder - goex 3f i think - i read it can be purchased at Angeles range which is kind of near where i live.
FFFG is all I use for my rifles, I like it better in my 58 cal muzzle loader than FFG the thing about real black is will keep very well for maybe a century or two.
"Hillary Clinton is the finest, bravest, kindest, the most wonderful person I've ever known in my whole life" Raymond Shaw

Re: Black Powder Beginner

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I have an colt 1851 navy (.36) and a colt 1860 (.44) a Remington 1858 in .36 and a .32 pocket Remington.

I also have a Philly derringer (.44), a "pirate" flintlock (.50) and a cap and ball Duckfoot (.36).

And some rifles :)

I have mason to thank for showing me how to shoot a BP rifle at the first annual meeting.

Re: Black Powder Beginner

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I have had several Pietta BP revolvers in th past and they were very good shooters. I strongly recommend you gat a copy of Lyman's Black Powder Handbook They are for sale online. They will tell you a lot of good information you NEED to know before actually shooting any BP gun, including load data, etc...It is a very good investment. I still have a copy from about 10 years ago, and I got a new edition last year.

I have 2 BP revolvers right now, and I really like them a lot.

Take your time about doing that conversion - get some experience shooting it as it is first.

mark
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." Pat Robertson, failed lawyer, worth over $100 million...

Re: Black Powder Beginner

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Greetings and happy holidays! Nice to see there are some black powder shooters on here. Well today i took it apart and cleaned it -

I noticed the barrel wedge can come all the way out - because the wedge spring is not bent too much - should i just leave it like that or try to bend it out a bit better so it catches on the retaining screw? Just wondering because i don't want to break that spring

So i removed the grip - i am meditating on how to strip the stain off of there - seems some use acetone but it doesn't really have much lacquer or oil on it - i will try to sand it a bit but it mostly fits perfect already. The thing is i need to get the wood down to a pretty light color so it will take white stain which is the first step of the ivory look alike process i want to use for the grips. Hopefully i will be able to reduce the stain color

Sand paper question - wet / dry 200 then go to 600? will that work
In Vino Veritas

Re: Black Powder Beginner

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My 2013 resolution is to obtain and start shooting a BP revolver in the the New Year. Been doing Naval "Living History" for more than a quarter of a century, so may as well pick up this skill as well. Seems like a remarkably inexpensive entry-level. I'm thinking that as pretty as the brass frames are, the heat-treated steel ones are more authentic, fascinating to look at, and stronger.

I'm shying away from the larger .4x calibers as I'm recoil-averse (though my EDC is a Ruger LCP in .380). But they seem to predominate.

Should I just get over it, or will I gain by going for a .3x caliber?

Re: Black Powder Beginner

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Worked on stripped and reshaped grips today - sorry i did not get my camera but i think it is misplaced - no matter, as i will file this one in my mental rolodex under 'learning experiences,' lol.

So i applied the white stain to the stripped grips - after this i would have applied Tung oil finish for an ivory look that i have done on some self-bows i built to good effect ---- well, Dangit! no dice! haha :no:

The walnut did not accept the stain and kept trying to reapply it with no success. At one point i had them looking pretty nice but i had pretty much painted the stain on like paint in streaks since it did not really accept the stain to well - i ended up just stripping it again with degreaser and cleaning it with acetone to get to the clean wood

Perhaps the walnut is too hard, not porous enough or something - but i am just going to apply tung oil on the wood without any stain i think :cry:
In Vino Veritas

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